So... Yeah. This writing stuff is work!

See the progress meter down to the right? That's right: Revision 4 is complete!

It took very near two full months to go through this revision, and that's with someone else's notes guiding me and helping me along. A big THANK YOU (again) to my Critique Partners  Colton Hibbs, Clare Mitchell, and Rachel Russell! Rev 4 would have been a whole lot faster, and mostly useless without you. I can only hope I've lived up to your notes, direction, and help.

That said, I didn't cave on everything suggested, and not just because there were conflicted opinions between my CP's. Rather because I didn't necessarily agree and writing isn't a democracy!

I've also posted a few things here and there for critique: A 35 word pitch and the first 250 words of the manuscript for #PitchMadness. You have NO idea how hard it is to fit the concept of an entire book into 35 words while keeping it compelling and interesting! NO IDEA!!! (unless you've done it with your own).

In undertaking these public critiques I kept getting one piece of feedback over and over. You see, CROW'S BLOOD is a book about...

WAITAMINUTE!! I have a 35 word summary to tell you what it's about. What am I doing writing it from scratch?

A noblewoman is murdered and Flynn, a talented thief, is being framed. Hunted by monstrous Inquisitors and Royal Guards, Flynn needs to pull one last daring heist to catch the killer and clear his name.

Do you see the problem? I do... now. How could I not.  

Here's a hint:

ARGH!!!!

So, back to an old problem that I've covered before, names! There is no part of writing that induces panic in me faster than coming up with a name for a character. It has to fit! Worse still, this is my Main Character we're talking about!!! CRISIS!!!!!!

So I've wrestled, and whined, and annoyed my friends and loved ones to the point where they want me to go lock myself in a room for hours on end (so I have!).  I've come up with a new name for my MC. Everyone, say hello to my new MC, he's identical to the old MC with a different name: Ren! It's short, simple, mono-syllabic (which I like for this character). In Old English it means Raven. In Welsh it means Ruler. And in Japanese it means Lily (and is a boy's name).

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F###!

FYI: For those not in the know about the character Flynn in Disney's Tangled: HIS REAL NAME IS EUGENE!!!